Everything Has Its Beauty
by beard lust
Summary: Daryl Dixon is eight years old when she gets into her first fight, and realizes she might grow up to be something, not much but something.


**Title:** Everything Has Its Beauty

**Character(s)/Pairing(s):** Daryl Dixon, gen

**Rating **(_Warnings_)**: **PG-13 (_Language and some mild violence_)

**Synopsis:** Brief look into the eyes of female eight year old Daryl Dixon.

**Summary **(_Quote_)**:** Daryl Dixon is eight years old when she gets into her first fight, and realizes she might grow up to be something, not much but something. _(She won't be a good or proper woman like her mama, but that was okay because she was never very pretty to begin with.)_

…

Daryl Dixon is eight years old and wearing a faded blue dress she does not like. But it makes her mama smile so she'll wear the ugly sundress even if it is scratchy and uncomfortable in places. Daryl is on her way to the corner store for some milk and she's going all by herself. She isn't a baby like most girls her age she can walk all the way there by herself and she didn't even get lost. Daryl's only made this trip by herself a handful of times and she always feels rather accomplished when it's over. The trip to the small rundown shop at the edge of town did manage to lift Daryl's spirit some.

Merle and her Pa were off on a hunting trip and Daryl wanted so badly to go with them too, but her Mama wanted her at home. So again she had to watch solemnly while her older brother and her Pa left without her, and while Daryl didn't cry, because crying was for babies and Daryl was not a baby, it still upset her. It's not that Daryl doesn't love her mama, she does really, she just always wants to be out with her Pa and Merle and she'd do just about anything to prove she wasn't too little or too much of a girl to them. Her mama always made a point to tell Daryl that she was perfect and beautiful just the way she was, but Daryl was eight years old already and she didn't care how genuine her mama was being, Daryl Dixon was old enough to spot bull shit when she heard it.

Daryl knows that she isn't pretty she knows that most of the time she's just okay and sometimes she's even ugly but that didn't matter much to her. She doesn't want to have to put on makeup or wear dresses with jewelry like all the pretty girls, like her Mama. Daryl wants to go hunting she wants to learn how to skin just about anything with nothing but a knife. She wants to learn how to track and use a crossbow wants to be able to fix up her Pa's truck just like Merle already knew how. Daryl wants to get dirty and start fights and learn how to ride the old Harley Pa's got rusting in the back yard that Merle is fixing up in secret. Daryl wants to do all these things, things that pretty girls don't do. Beauty means nothing to her not when there are a million other fun things she could be doing.

Daryl feels the money in the pocket of her dress counting it silently in her head and trying to figure out if she would have enough money left over to buy a Popsicle or maybe a couple War Heads. It takes some concentrating because Daryl always got her quarters and nickels mixed up but if she's counting correctly then her mama put extra change in there so Daryl might be able to get both.

"Oh look the butch Dixon went out and got all dressed up for us!"

Daryl's concentration is broken by the shout coming from one of the Mavis brothers. They were both as ugly as they were stupid and poorer than dirt too; they were pretty big for their age and spent most of their time bullying kids from school. They usually left Daryl alone because they knew if they messed with her Merle would beat one to death using the other as the weapon. But Merle was off on a hunting trip which meant Daryl was fair game.

Daryl knows that she has nothing to worry about. After all she's been fighting with her older brother for as long as she could walk. Merle was strong and viscous in a fight even with his little sister. Daryl's heard all the stories the broken bones and all the blood from Merle's victims, she knows that her older brother is probably just about the toughest kid in the whole town maybe even the state. And Daryl fought with him practically every day. She never won but she always managed to get a few hits in so later when they turned into scars or bruises she could look at them and know she was good enough to mess up Merle Dixon. Even so Daryl still has a feeling that Merle goes easy on her sometimes and if he does it because she's his sister Daryl would be surprised (but if he does it because she was a girl Daryl would never forgive him).

Still even though Daryl knows the Mavis brothers wouldn't be much of a challenge for her she hadn't technically fought anyone besides her older brother before so she was a little scared.

The older Mavis brother pushes Daryl down and she lays there for a second thinking. Merle always told her it was just as important to fight smart as it was to fight hard. She doesn't get as much time to think as she would have liked because the other Mavis brother is lifting up her dress to try and get a peek underneath it so Daryl kicks him hard in the face. She doesn't use the tip of her foot like most people did, and she didn't use the length of her feet like all those pussy soccer players were always saying. Daryl uses the flat bottom of her foot and slams down hard into the younger Mavis brother's face just like Merle taught her how. Daryl knows that if she wasn't wearing any shoes she might have been able to feel his nose break under her. There's too much blood for him to see and he squeals like a pig Daryl smirks at that even as the older Mavis brother drags her up by her hair.

Daryl twists around enough to land a decent punch to his eye and the older Mavis rears back from the unexpected hit. He leaves himself wide open and Daryl takes the opportunity when she sees it and gives the older Mavis brother a hard kick in the crotch; it's a last resort she's only used a couple times with Merle but Mavis' face still twists in pain the same way. Maybe it's worse on him too because he wasn't as strong as Merle and Daryl kicks him there easily twice as hard as she would Merle. The Mavis brothers leave soon after that swearing their revenge but Daryl snorts at that because she's eight years old which meant she was old enough to spot bull shit when she heard it.

Later Daryl will arrive at the store and walk out with the milk her mom asked her to buy while sucking on a Popsicle with a couple War Heads saved in her pocket for later. She feels the dull ache on her back and knows that there will be bruises and scabs there later and Daryl will wear them as badges from her first ever real fight. And eight year old Daryl Dixon will know that she was not a baby, she wasn't too much of a girl, and she will learn how to hunt and fix cars and be every bit as good as her older brother. She won't be a good or proper woman like her mama, but that was okay because she was never very pretty to begin with.

…

_This little bit of writing was inspired by a prompt on twd_kinkmeme, although it isn't technically a fill considering I ignored everything except the part where Daryl was born a girl. I was intrigued by the premise to say the least and I wanted to write something where Daryl was a girl but still all Daryl. It was a bit difficult considering boys and girls are very different but I enjoyed the challenge and am quite happy with the result. I suppose this does not have much plot considering I focused more on characterization than anything but I do think it turned out ok. Although your opinions on this little piece would be greatly appreciated also!_

_-Beard Lust_


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